As auto sales spiked last month, these models stalled

Car sales surged in March to the highest level in five years, indicating renewed confidence in the U.S. economy, but some big-name models are collecting dust at the dealership. Car-shopping website Edmunds.com raised its full-year sales forecasts to 15.5 million vehicles, meaning that car salesmen are partying harder than since before the recession. There are some dents in the figures though. At Ford, car sales declined 0.2%. Despite Chryslers’ buoyant March sales, its Jeep brand fell 13% on the year in March amid efforts to revamp and broaden its selection of jeeps; the company suffered from limited inventory last month on some of its most popular models, according to Reid Bigland, head of U.S. sales at Chrysler. And as Americans rushed to upgrade their old jalopies after years of waiting, some models got overlooked. The Lexus HS sold just one car last month, versus 261 cars in March 2012, although overall Lexus sales jumped 15% to 23,190 units. Analysts say the younger the model, the more popular the car. Sales inevitably begin to dip when models become long in tooth, and when there are strong alternatives in any particular segment, “sales can really begin to suffer,” says Edmunds.com analyst Jeremy Acevedo. “Competition in the auto industry is perhaps most fierce in the midsize segment,” he says. Here are five of the most well-known cars with stalling sales. — By Quentin Fottrell

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Lincoln MKZ: -19% in March 2013 vs. March 2012

Ford’s
F, +0.71%
shares rose Tuesday as the Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker reported bumper results, but Lincoln’s sales disappointed. Every Lincoln model fell, particularly the MKZ, which dropped more than 19% on the year to 2,360 units in March compared with a year ago, and 47% year-to-date. The MKS model didn’t fare much better: Sales were down more than 45% in March to 924 cars, and 16% year-to-date. Some Lincoln dealers have expressed concerns regarding MKZ delays and the impact on customer sales, a spokesman says. “We have worked through these concerns and have now normalized MKZ stock levels.”

rmnoa357 / Shutterstock.com

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Chevrolet Malibu: -22%

General Motors’
GM, +0.35%
Chevrolet sold 173,859 units in March, flat on the year, but sales of the Chevrolet Malibu midsize sedan plunged more than 22% to 18,539 units. “Chevy did well in trucks, SUVs, crossovers and mini, small and compact cars,” says James Cain, a spokesman for the Detroit-based company. The new Malibu faced a tough haul as General Motors was selling off an older version, he says. That said, the Malibu has been outperformed by other midsize cars like the Ford Fusion and Honda Accord, analysts say. Last month, GM said it would also tweak the interior to make it simpler.

Ritu Manoj Jethani / Shutterstock.com

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Nissan Quest: -48%

Among foreign carmakers, Nissan
7201, -0.12%
reported sales up just 1% to 137,726 vehicles. Sales for Nissan Quest minivan fell 48% on the year in March to 1,345 units. For its part, the Japanese automaker said in a statement that it had its best-ever U.S. sales month in March. The Quest’s performance was in sharp contrast to some of its other cars: Sales of the recently released Pathfinder SUV surged 177% to 9,071, setting a new March record. In sharp contrast, year-to-date Pathfinder sales, which launched in November 2012, are up 172%. Trucks, analysts say, typically have better profit-margins than cars.

Dongliu / Shutterstock.com

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Subaru Impreza: -38%

Subaru of America
9778, +0.82%
reported a 13% sales increase in March to 36,701 units, which the company says represents the best-ever sales month for the company. However, sales for the Subaru Impreza fell nearly 38% on the year to 5,327 units in March. But last year was a tough comparison, says Subaru spokeswoman Sheriece Matias. The Impreza was launched in the winter of 2011, became widely available in early 2012 and, Matias says, was named the most fuel-efficient all-wheel-drive, based on Environmental Protection Agency estimates. “The car really took off this time last year,” she says.

Rob Wilson / Shutterstock.com

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Toyota Prius: -23%

Although the Prius was down nearly 23% on the year to 22,140 units in March, the company says the numbers are still “robust” and attributes this to a temporary bump in the road. “The year-over-year decrease reflects a very strong March 2012 in the midst of the Prius family marketing launch,” says spokeswoman Carly Schaffner. The Prius, “the poster child for hybrid technology, now faces a segment crammed with hybrids,” says Acevedo, the Edmunds.com analyst. On Tuesday, the Japanese automaker reported that it sold 205,342 vehicles in the U.S. last month, up just 1% on the year.

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